A controversial proposal to build a residential Evanston highrise that would rank among the tallest in Chicago’s suburbs cleared a challenge Oct. 27 when the Evanston City Council narrowly voted to advance the plan, which has become a flashpoint in Evanston’s broader debate over density and development.
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The 5-4 vote to introduce the project means that it will advance to a final vote by City Council at its next meeting on Nov. 10.
Since the city’s Land Use Commission voted against recommending the proposed tower at its Aug. 27 meeting and the City Council tabled the issue in early October, with some Councilmembers voicing hopes the developer would scale down the proposal, the developers adjusted the plan to remove a floor of apartments and a floor of parking spaces. That reduced the number of floors from 31 to 29, the number of units from 430 to 419, and lessened the building height from 330 to 299 feet.
Cutting the parking reduced the number of parking spots in the building from 80 to 40, or less than one parking spot for every 10 units. The plan calls for leasing 153 parking spaces from a city-owned parking garage.
“We’ve been pursuing this because we’re passionate about it,” said Chris Dillion, president of Campbell Coyle, which has presented the project alongside Vermilion Development.
Like other large developments before it, 605 Davis St. has stoked a sometimes furious discussion among both residents and Council members on how to achieve the city’s professed values of affordability and livability. And the developers’ plans have taken multiple iterations.
In 2020, City Council greenlighted Vermilion’s vision to construct an office tower there, after a failed bid to build an apartment building. However, demand for office space plummeted during the COVID-19 pandemic in Evanston and beyond.
The developers returned early this year to pitch another tower at the site that sits next to Evanston’s current tallest building, Orrington Plaza. Twenty percent of the units in the then-330-foot building proposal would be affordable housing, aimed toward people who make up to 60% of area median income.
That makes it eligible for a big discount on the property taxes the development would owe. Under a Cook County program to boost affordable housing, the difference between the current assessed value of the lot and its post-construction value would be completely waived for the first three years. The discount would shrink over the 30 years after the project’s completion. While the developers would save significant money, the city of Evanston would lose out on the property tax revenue the building would otherwise have paid, a point that some critics have raised.
About half of the apartments in the proposed building are set to be one-bedroom units, and the remainder are split between studios and two-bedroom units, in addition to a dozen three-bedroom units. Eighty-four units, or 20% of the total, will be marketed at affordable rates.
During Council discussion, Ald. Clare Kelly, 1st, suggested modifying the number of affordable units and inveighed against the property tax cut, arguing that, coupled with its size, the project would “cause a strain on us instead of offering relief.” She said it would shift the property tax burden toward the rest of Evanston and worsen affordability, a contention Ald. Bobby Burns, 5th, repudiated as “pure speculation.”
“It’s not like we’re relying on taxes that we’re going to lose out on that have to be now paid for by all the other taxing entities within the city,” Burns said. “That’s not the case. We’re getting the same amount.”
Burns echoed arguments by the developers that the project would not be financially feasible if further modified. Anything other than 20% affordable housing just wouldn’t pencil out, Dillion told the council.
Later, Kelly chastised Burns for making “ad hominem” arguments against her and failed to garner support for changing the amount of affordable housing in order to reap more property taxes from the tower.
“Playing games with the developer to see what we can possibly get out of them?” Ald. Shawn Iles, 3rd, said. “I’m disappointed we lost two floors. I’m disappointed we lost two affordable housing units. I’m disappointed that we lost some bike parking. I don’t want to play any more games.”
Alds. Tom Suffredin, 6th, Parielle Davis, 7th, Matt Rodgers, 8th, and Kelly voted against introducing the project.
If given final approval, the tower could see its first residents in 2027, according to the project website.
During public comment, most of the people who spoke about 605 Davis St. supported the project. Many said downtown retail could use a boost from new residents, and that Evanston needs more affordable housing.
“As we have articulated before, we believe that more residential development in the central commercial district is necessary to support existing local businesses, create more street-level vitality and generate the additional tax revenue that will support the future growth and sustainability of our city,” Downtown Evanston Executive Director Andy Vick said.
Residents who criticized the project often cited its towering stature. Jeff Smith, who leads the Central Street Neighbors Association, acknowledged possible economic benefits but said the several stories rising next to the sidewalk would “do violence to the pedestrian experience.”
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Others complained of a letter Mayor Daniel Biss had sent, based on input from the developers, to JPMorgan Chase urging it not to sell off one segment of the 605 Davis St. site. The existence of the letter was previously reported by the Evanston RoundTable.
“It’s important for me to advocate in private for the same things I advocate for in public, for affordable housing and for density,” Biss told Pioneer Press, adding that it would be “troubling” if a mayor could not do so.